In late 2001, several United States postal offices and other buildings were contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores (anthrax) along the eastern United States, resulting in anthrax infection and death among several individuals. This incident was quite costly, not only in terms of the health-related impact, but also in the required decontamination efforts. Cleanup following the anthrax contamination proved to be difficult, labor intensive, and expensive. As this threat still exists, there is a need to detect biological contaminants within the postal packages or other containers. Similar attacks through the mail system are possible using other hazardous substances such as nerve or blistering agents, or any other substance which can harm any person who handles the contaminated mail piece.
Detection of biohazards in the mail for culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis requires collection of a sample. Similar detection technologies for other harmful contaminants also require collection of samples. Currently, when mail is suspected of carrying biological contaminants such as anthrax, the mail is put in a bag and carried to a testing facility. At the testing facility, the bag is opened in a chemical hood, and the mail is taken out of the bag. A wet cotton swab or the like is used to take a sample of the suspected contaminants from the mail for testing. Wet cotton swabs may cause damage to the forensic evidence by matting dry powders or causing ink to run. The mail is then bagged for safekeeping or further processing. As such, part of the suspected contaminants will be lost in the chemical hood and contaminate the equipment disposed therein. Furthermore, the mail is required to be bagged more than once.
Thus, it is advantageous and desirable to provide a safer method and system for containing the mail and collecting the suspected biological contaminants on the mail.